Survival
by Howlin Mad Hoffa
Summary: Caught between a rock and a hard place, Captain HM Murdock shares what will surely be his final words with an old video camera.


Survival

Part 1

You could hear his heavy breathing as he carfully adjusted the camera lens to focus on a high spot. Standing away to assess his work, Murdock nodded and quickly sat down on the floor opposite of the video camera. He could see his image in the tiny screen on the side of the camera and nodded again when he saw that his face was in frame. He had set it up on one of the multiple look-alike brown boxes in the room he was in.

Taking a deep breath Murdock gave the camera a weak smile and began.

"Hey guys...if um...if your seein this, then that means..." he took another deep breath to steady himself, he'd been running too long, "..then that means they've caught me."

Murdock chuckled lightly to himself, taking off his blue cap and running a hand through his thinning hair, "You know, Hannibal, I don't blame you. The tables have been turned in a way that I don't think even _you_ could have seen commin, boss."

He rung the baseball cap through nervous hands before placing it back on his head, "And Facey, I don't blame you either. I knew you'd do what you did, and I was ready for it. I don't think your a coward, and don't let anyone tell you different." He chuckled again, "I mean, everyone knows you don't like to get yer hands dirty, so abandoning me when things were about to get real messy..." He adjusted his cap again, "well I guess it was just a natural responce, oh Facial One."

"And B.A.-" he cut himself off, listening to the silence in the room. _*Gotta make this quick.*_ "Look, I've been taken, there's no hope for me now. Just...just don't let my sacrafice be in vein. I made a mistake. A big mistake! Bigger'n Texas mistake! I didn't take my own advice. Advice that could have kept me alive a little while longer. Advice that I'm passing on to you."

Pausing briefly to re-scan the silence, Murdock's now serious eyes locked on the camera lense, "Look, follow these rules and you guys might have a chance.

Rule Number 1: Don't travel in groups, I know it goes against all horror movie advice but _don't do it_! They'll just take you all down at once.

Rule Number 2: This is one of the most important rules, and this Texan disregarded it. That's _why_ I'm a goner. Do _not_...no..._ALWAYS_ have an escape route, multiple if possible. I've got myself into a tight corner right now with no way out.

Rule Number 3: Hannibal, I know you, when your on the Jazz...just remember that you'll always be superman to me but to these guys your just fresh meat. _Run_.

Rule Number 4: The enemy may have advanced weaponry, do not engage, if your close enough to an infidel use their bodies to sheild your own until your out of the line of fire.

Rule Number-" His body tensed, sentence cut short by multiple shouts closing in from somewhere outside of the closet. His eyes darted from the camera to the door, panic edging his voice as his whispers became more urgent, "They're commin', I can hear 'em. They're-"

The door began to shake in its frame as multiple fists made contact. Murdock could hear their shouts clearly and knew their intentions. Grabbing for his weapon he raised it eye level just as the door flew open, "YOU'LL NEVER TAKE ME ALIVE!"

Part 2

Battle cries and howling could be heard throughout the halls. Having been relieved of his weapon the enemy took fire, rendering Murdock helpless against the onslaught. "Restrain him!" An infidel wearing a red bandana ordered; clearly he was in charge here.

Hands began pulling at his legs and arms, "No! Lemme go! I choose _LIFE_!" The camera sat, forgotten, in its spot on top of the box as the attack continued.

The leader took some rope from one of the lesser officers who gave him a half-salute. As the others held his half-thrashing legs and arms still the leader got to work binding them together. When Murdock was thoroughly bound and gagged the leader stood and looked to his men, "Take him away!" Keeping their weapons on him they began the long walk back to the camp.

Being dragged down the cold tiled halls wasn't as bad as the captain thought it would be, but the thought of the rugged area just ahead made him struggle harder.

They'd just begun pulling him feet first into an area known as the "Reading Room" when a sweet voice cut through the commotion, "Alright, time for cookies and milk!"

Dropping their Nurf Dart guns, the children cheered and ran towards the voice. Murdock "huh?'d" through his gag and turned his head to get a good look at the woman in the doorway. She smiled down at him and shook her head, making her blonde trusses bounce. Mrs. McCall was a nice woman, but she did have the worst of timing. With these kids distracted by cookies, he was never going to get loose.

He looked around the room and spotted his friends. They were in a simillar situation; tied to chairs with old jump-ropes and gagged with various colored socks. Hannibal nodded at him, while BA and a nappy headed Face just shook thier heads in defeat. _*Maybe I should have told them the 'rules of survival' BEFORE we started the game?*_

The kids at the community center had gone all out for their war games this time. Insisting that they were old enough and smart enough to outwit the Special Forces vets.

Thinking that they couldn't lose a simple kids game, Hannibal jumped on the Jazz and gave his men orders. They would be armed with nothing but Nerf guns and a Jazz induced plan.

A simple kids game (a mix of tag and hide'n seek) had turned into an all out bloodbath as the members were picked off one by one.

Face and Murdock were paired together, but when the kids had chased them outside and onto the muddy football field Face hightailed it to his 'vette. He was only safe there for about 5 minutes before they found him.

Hannibal and BA decided to split up. Hannibal took the rec room while BA went to the greenhouse.

BA never stood a chance as the youngest one, a three year old named Sarah, conned him into finding her 'lost' blanket, and instead lead him into an ambush.

Hannibal was taken down when the older group of kids poured the center's entire supply of pingpong balls at his feet. Slipping and slidding until he hit the ground, the young group had their weapons on him immediately. After weighing his choices, which were few and far between, Hannibal accepted defeat.

All of the men had been dragged or led into the Reading Room, and placed inside a circle of building blocks. With little green soldiers patroling the boarders, it looked like a makeshift prison camp.

Hannibal was impressed.

Face just wanted a comb.

Part 3

Murdock rolled over to the guys until he hit the building blocks. When the blocks finally gave way he tried to shimmie over them to the others but the blocks were scratching up his old bomber jacket. Noticing his dilema, Mrs. McCall stepped over some blocks and pulled the little yellow sock from his mouth.

Smacking his lips together in an attempt to re-wet his tongue Murdock smiled at her, "Thanks Mrs. M., think ya can get these ropes offa me before the enemy finnish their snacks?"

Laughing, Mrs. McCall began to work the jump-ropes loose, "You know boys, if you hadn't underestimated the "enemy" you wouldn't have been caught."

"Boy these kids sure can tie a knot. Must be those tiny fingers," Murdock laughed.

Once free, Murdock and Mrs. McCall started working on the others, removing the gags first. Of course that meant that Face could start complaining sooner.

"That, or the Colonel gave them a crash course in Rope Tying 101," Face chimed in grumpily.

Hannibal grinned and rubbed his now free wrists, "Of course they learned it from me, why else do you think it worked. Besides Face, if I remember correctly, YOU still can't tie a sailor's knot."

Shooting a still smilling Hannibal a death glare Face continued his rant, "Has anyone seen my coat? One of the little "angels" took it and it has my comb. My hair is a mess, I can just FEEL it!"

A still tied up BA grumbled, "I think they were using it to wipe up some grape juice that spilled when they were-"

"GRAPE JUICE!" Face screetched, breaking free of his half undone bonds, "Thats an $400 custom Armani wind breaker!"

"Calm down Facey," Murdock put a hand on his friends shoulder, " You can always wash it."

Face looked disgusted and stepped out of the pilot's reach, "W-wash it?..." Before he could start screaming in what undoubtebly would have been a voice three octaves too high, Face felt a tug on his pant leg.

Looking down he saw little Sarah, sucking her thumb and holding something clutched in her little arms. Kneeling down Face got a closer look, it was his wind breaker. Dislodging her thumb from her mouth Sarah held out the crumpled up coat, "Here Uncle Facey, I made it better."

He gently took the coat from her, "Really?" Wondering how she could have gotten the evil grape juice out of the material, Face uncrumpled the coat. His eyes searched until he came across a giant, pure white, spot in the very middle of the back and shoulder area. His breath didn't just catch, it stopped completely.

For a moment or two the whole team was quiet, waiting for Face's reaction. What happened next, no one anticipated.

"Thank you Sarah!"

Everyone paused, eyes wide as Face's namesake lit up.

"It's good as new," to prove his point Face threw the coat over his shoulders and slid it on, "I think it looks better this way!" Sarah giggled and held out a cookie for him. He took it and smiled, "Aren't you just a sweetheart," he said while taking a bite of cookie, "Now can you do one more thing for me?" Sarah nodded and started sucking her thumb again as Face lifted her onto his hip, "Can you tell me which of the older kids told you to bring me my coat?"

Sarah took her thumb from her mouth and leaned into Face's ear. "Oh really? Bobby, huh? Thank you Sarah," Face gave her a kiss on the cheek and handed her off to Murdock. "Excuse me a moment, I have to go have a chat with Bobby," moving away from the group Face headed for the door. An air of determination and a mad twinkle in his eye.

A few seconds passed before an eerily calm Faceman was heard down the hall, "Hey! There you are Bobby, I need a word with ya...DON'T YOU RUN YOU LITTLE..."

Part 4

With the team thoroughly exhausted and Face still complaining about his coat, they all headed back to the pent house the grumbling conman had aquired for them.

"Four hundred dollars..." Face whined from his usual spot next to Murdock, "Four hundred dollars! Custom fit, Italian silk-" BA cut him off, "Shudd'up fool! Ain't nobody care about no stupid coat! Just con a new one man!"

Face was about to snap back at the sergeant but Hannibal held up a stern hand, "Face, we know your upset about the coat, but what's done is done. There's no use complaining over spilled milk."

"Or spilled grape juice," Murdock added with a grin.

Once again, before Face could get a word in the colonel spoke up, "That'll be all captain, thank you." Lighting a cigar he continued, "By the way Murdock, where were you while the rest of us were being 'tortured'?"

"A closet," the pilot shrugged, "I could hear em commin' for me so I just dove in."

BA shook his head, "A closet? You really are crazy, fool."

Smiling the captain continued, "Anyways, it was filled with boxes so I did some diggin', hopin' to find something I could use against the kids but," he shrugged again, "all I found was a broken old video camera."

Hannibal chuckled, "Not much use for that."

Murdock grinned knowingly, "Nope, not much use."

End.


End file.
